earthquake on July 28, 1976, with a magnitude of 8.0, that nearly razed the Chinese coal-mining and industrial city of Tangshan, located about 68 miles (110 km) east of Beijing. The death toll, thought to be one of the largest in recorded history, was officially reported as 242,000 persons, but it may have been as high as 655,000. At least 700,000 more people were injured, and property damage was extensive, reaching even to Beijing. Most of the fatalities resulted from the collapse of unreinforced masonry homes where people were sleeping.